Loose leaf binder



July '4; 1939. P, Q UNSER 2,164,967

` LOOSE'` LEAF BINDER Filed April 27. 1935 s sheets-sheetv 1 ATTORN EY BYW/M July 4, 1939. P. o. UNGE'R LoosE LEAF BINDER Filed April 27, 1935 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 flfcnlal Raf/4 QUA/aff? Il IIIIIII )w1 LL ATTORNEY P. O. UNGER July 4, 1939.

LoosE LEAF BINDER Filed April 27. 1935 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 FIG. 9

FIG. 8

INVENTOR PAUL O. UNGER BY /'ugl ATTORN EY.

Patented July 4, 1939 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE LOOSE LEAF vBINDER.

Massachusetts Application April 27,

9 Claims.

This invention relates to a loose leaf binder of the record book type and particularly to means for aligning the ends of the sheet retaining posts with the pintles which hold the posts in the binder.

It is an object of this invention to provide simple and efficient means for positively engaging the sheet retaining posts near each end to hold them in predetermined position so that the pintle slides may be easily moved to their post engaging position. It is a further object of this invention to provide post aligning means that may be secured to the binder with a minimum of expense. It is a further object of this invention to provide post aligning means that will not detract from the appearance of the binder and will not readily get out ofy order. Other objects of this invention will become apparent upon reading the following description, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which Figure l is a fragmentary perspective view of a lose leaf binder embodying the invention;

Figure 2 is a detail perspective view of the binder shown in Figure l;

Figure 3 is a detail perspective view of the post aligning means of Figures l and 2;

Figure 4 is a perspective view of the loose leaf binder with parts broken away to show the operation of the pintle closing mechanism;

Figure 5 is a fragmentary longitudinal sectional vieW showing the pintle slide in open position;

Figure 6 is a View similar to Figure 5 showing the pintle slide in closed position;

Figure 7 is a fragmentary perspective view of a loose leaf binder embodying a modified form of post aligning means;

Figure 8 is a cross sectional view through thev binder shown in Figure 7 Figure 9 is a view similar to Figure 8 showing the pintle closing means;

Figure 10 is a detail perspective of the binder shown in Figure 7, with parts broken away to show the post aligning means;

Figure 1l is a detail perspective of a modied embodiment of post aligning means;

Figure l2 is a detail perspective of another modied embodiment of post aligning means;

Figure 13 is a front elevation of the post aligning means illustrated in Figure 12;

Figure 14 is a detail perspective of another modified embodiment of post aligning means assembled with the pintle sheath;

1935,l Serial No. 18,528

Figure 15 is a detail of the post aligning means illustrated in Figure 14; and

Figures 16 and 1'7 are detail perspective views of other modied embodiments of post aligning means.

In the drawings, the reference numeral 2 indicates a back member to opposite sides of which cover members 3 are hinged, as indicated at 4. A short flat plate member 5 is also secured to the hinge 4 at each of the opposite ends of the binder. The plate 5 may extend the whole length of the binder back, as indicated at 5 in the embodiment illustrated in Figure 7, but I prefer to use two short plates at opposite ends of the binder because of the saving in weight. The plates 5 add rigidity to the back member and serve as a support upon which the inner edges of the sheets 6 rest.

A tubular sheath 'I is secured to the back plates 5 adjacent each hinge 4. Each tubular sheath is notched, as indicated at 8, in a plurality of predetermined positions. The notches 8 are each adapted to receive one end of any sheet retaining post 9 upon which the sheets 6 may be impaled. A pintle slide I0 is slidably mounted in each tubular sheath. One end of the sheath is closed, as indicated at Il, to prevent access to the pintle slide from that end.

A tension spring I2, having one end secured to a pin I3 Xed adjacent the closed end of the sheath and its other end secured to the inner end I4 of the pintle slide, exerts a constant force urging the pintle slide inwardly. Each pintle slide ID is provided With a plurality of pintles I5 adapted to bridge the notches 8 when the pintle slide is in its normal innermost or closed position. The inward movement of the pintle slides II! is limited by means of the handles I6 which facilitate opening or outward movement of the pintle slides against the action of the spring I2. Each sheet retaining post 9 is apertured, as indicated at Il, Figure 10, so that when the end of any post is properly positioned in any notch 8, one pintle I5 will pass through said aperture to secure the post to the binder when the proper pintle slide is moved inwardly.

When the pintle slide I0 is moved outwardly against the action of the spring I2 a distance sufficient to disengage the pintles I5 from the apertures I 1, the pintle slide is automatically held against accidental return to closed position upon release of the handle I 6. The mechanism for holding the pintle slide I0 against the action of the spring I2 includes a stirrup I8 which em- 'braces the pintle slide. The pintle slide is provided on its underside with a notch I9 of approximately the same width as the stirrup. The sheath is also notched, as indicated at 20, to permit movement of the stirrup in a vertical direction as seen in Figures and 6. A spring 2| exerts constant pressure against the underside of the stirrup I8, so that as soon as the pintle slide is moved outwardly a distance suilicient to cause the notch I 9 to be aligned with the stirrup, the stirrup is automatically moved upwardly into engagement with the notch I9.

The pintle slide may be moved to closed position by moving the stirrup I 8 downwardly against the action of the spring 2|. As soon as the stirrup is disengaged from the notch I9, the spring I2 automatically propels the pintle slide inwardly to closed position. Each cover 3 is provided with a projection 22 adapted to engage the stirrup I8 to move it out of engagement with the notch I9 when the cover is closed, so that no action, other than merely closing the covers of the binder, is necessary to move the pintles to closed position. The projection 22 preferably has a rolling contact with the stirrup I8, as indicated in the drawings, but any suitable projection may be used.

It will be obvious that when the pintles are propelled inwardly automatically upon closing thecovers of a binder that the apertured ends of the sheet retaining posts must be properly aligned with the pintles to provide an eicient binder. In my preferred embodiment, a resilient post aligning member 23 is secured to the sheath 1 adjacent each notch 8 by means of a pair of prongs or tongues 24 which are integral with the member 23 and are inserted through suitable slots in one wall of the sheath member 1 and are clinched thereagainst- The member 23 includes a flat wall 25 adapted to be positioned adjacent the lower wall of the sheath 1 parallel to the back plate 5. Two arms 26, spaced from each other to provide suitable resilience, project at right angles to the hat wall 25 so as to lie adjacent the inner side wall of the sheath 1 on opposite sides of the notch 8. Each arm 26 is provided with a flange 21 parallel to the wall 25 and positioned adjacent the top wall of the sheath 1. Each ange 21 is provided with a curled or rounded extension 28 extending into the lateral connes of the notch 8.

The extensions 28 serve as gripping surfaces to engage the ends of the sheet retaining posts 9 to align the apertures I1 with the pintles I5. As shown most clearly in Figure 2, the ends of the posts 9 substantially lill the notches 8, and the extensions 28 overlie the sides of the posts to retain. them in aligned position. I prefer to curl the projections 28, as shown in the drawings, to prevent the possibility of their biting into the posts, Although the resilient member 23 might be positioned against the outer surface of the sheath 1, I prefer to arrange it on the inner side of the sheath because such arrangement makes it less conspicuous when the binder is full of sheets.

When the sheet retaining posts are properly aligned and the binder covers are closed, the pintle slides will be in their normal innermost position and the pintle I5 will extend entirely through the apertures I1 and slightly beyond the limits of the notches 8 so as to provide maximum resistance to displacement of the sheet contents of the binder. The handle I6 is secured to the pintle slide by means of a screw I6. When the screw IB is removed the handle may be removed from the pintle slide, The spring I2 pulls the pintle slide inwardly a short distance beyond its normal innermost position when the handle I6 is removed. As seen in Figures 5 and 6, this slight additional movement of the slide enables one end of a spring 29 to snap into a notch 30 provided in the undersurface of the pintle slide. Since the spring 29 is not accessible when the binder is closed, the engagement of the spring 29 with the notch 30 permanently locks the binder against subsequent opening.

If it is desired to lock the book temporarily, a suitable locking device may be provided. The preferred temporary lock includes a pair of arms 3| movable laterally into the path of travel of the pintle slides by means of a key 32 insertable through a slot 33 in one end of the back member. This structure is fully described and claimed in my prior Patent No. 1,964,608, granted June 26, '1934.

In Figures 1 to 10 inclusive, I have shown a modied embodiment of post aligning means which consists of a resilient cup-shaped member 34. The bottom wall 35 is positioned between the bottom wall 36 of the sheath member and the flat plate member 5', The walls 35 and 36 may be welded or riveted to the plate member 5. The member 34 includes a resilient arm 31 which is positioned adjacent the outer wall of the sheath 1 and serves to close one side of the notch 8. The arm 31 is shaped to provide a cup-shaped recess 38 adapted to nt snugly around the end of the sheet retaining post 9. The free end of the arm 31 is ared outwardly, as indicated at 39, to facilitate the engagement of the end of the post 9 with the cup-shaped recess 33.

The modification illustrated in Figure l1 is similar to the embodiment described in the preceding paragraph except that the series of resilient arms 31 on opposite sides of thev binder are each integral with a common base member 46. The base member 40 is secured between the wall 36 and the plate member 5 in the same manner as the members 35.

In Figures 12 and 13 two jaw plates 4I are pivoted to one wall of the sheath, as indicated at 42, Each plate 4I has an upstanding flange 43 through which a rod 44 extends. The rod 44 is encircled by a pair of compression springs 45 on opposite sides of the flanges 43. The springs 45 tend to move the jaw plates toward each other so as to restrict the opening between the projections 46. When the sheet retaining post 9 is inserted between the jaw plates 4I it forces the projections 46 outwardly against the action oi the springs until the post is properly positioned, and then the springs force the jaw plates inwardly to retain the post in alignment with the pintle.

In Figures 14 and 15 I have illustrated a resilient wire member having a base portion 41 adapted to be secured to one wall of the sheath member, and two arms 48 shaped to t against the inner wall of the sheath. The arms 48 are bent, as indicated at 49, to provide a rounded restricted opening to receive the end of the sheet retaining post. The resilience of the wire causes the portions 49 to move inwardly after the post is inserted therebetween to retain the post in proper position.

The embodiment of Figure 16 is similar to the preferred form except that the anges 21 and extensions 28 are omitted. The arms 26' are provided with inwardly extending projections 56 which are adapted to spring outwardly to permit positioning of the sheet retaining post, and inwardly to retain the post in position.

In Figure 17 each sheath is provided with a member I extending the length of the sheath. The member 5| is secured adjacent the inner wall of the sheath in. any desirable manner and is cut away adjacent each notch 8 to provide a pair of resilient arms 52. The arms 52 are provided with projections 53 which spring outwardly to permit insertion of the end of the sheet retaining post in the notch 8, and inwardly to retain the post in position.

From the foregoing it will be seen that I have devised several embodiments of means to facilitate the alignment of the sheet retaining posts with the pintles so that the pintles may be automatically moved to closed position without diiculty. The foregoing description is intended to be illustrative, rather than restrictive, inasmuch as many specic details of the structures disclosed may be modied or changed without departing from the spirit or scope of my invention. Accordingly, I do not desire to be restricted to the exact structures shown, except as limited by the appended claims.

I claim:

1. In a loose leaf binder, a back member, a pair of sheath members secured adjacent opposite edges of said back member, a plurality of notches in said sheaths, a plurality of sheet retaining posts having ends adapted to t in said notches, and resilient means secured to one side of each of said sheath members to facilitate proper positioning of the ends of said sheet retaining posts in said notches.

2. In a loose leaf binder, a sheath member provided with a notch, and a resilient member clinched against said sheath member, said resilient member including a pair of upstanding arms positioned on opposite sides of said notch, a flange projecting from each of said arms over the top wall of said sheath and rounded extensions restricting the entrance of said notch.

3. In a loose leaf binder, a sheet retaining post, a sheath notched to receive one end of said post, a member having two arms adjacent the inner wall of said sheath on opposite sides of said notch, and projections extending from said arms to restrict the entrance of said notch, said arms being movable outwardly by said post to permit positioning of said post in said notch, said arms being movable inwardly automatically upon passage of said post to retain said post in proper position.

4. In a loose leaf binder, a back member, a sheath secured adjacent one edge of said back member, a plurality of sheet retaining posts, a plurality of notches extending through said sheath each adapted to receive one end of one of said posts, and a resilient member having one end secured between said back member and said sheath, said resilient member closing one side of each of said notches to facilitate the proper positioning of said posts in said notches.

5. In a loose leaf binder, a back member, a sheath rigidly secured adjacent one edge of said back member, a plurality of sheet retaining posts, means in said sheath adapted to engage one end of each of said posts, and a plurality of resilient members each having one end rigidly secured between said sheath and said back member, said resilient members being adapted to facilitate engagement of said means with said posts.

6. In a loose leaf binder, a back member, a notched sheath having a flange permanently secured to said back member, a sheet retaining post engageable with said notch, and a resilient member having a flange rigidly secured between said rst mentioned flange and said back member, said resilient member cooperating with said notch to facilitate proper positioning of said retaining post.

'7. In a loose leaf binder, a back member, a sheath secured adjacent one edge of said back member, a plurality of sheet retaining posts, said sheath having a plurality of notches each adapted to receive one end of one of said posts, a strip secured between said sheath and said back member, and a plurality of resilient members extending from said strip adjacent one side of said sheath to close one side of each of said notches to facilitate proper positioning of said sheet retaining posts in said notches.

8. In a loose leaf binder, a plurality of sheet retaining posts, a pintle sheath provided with notches toreceive said sheet retaining posts, and means secured to said sheath member and having projections extending inwardly beyond the ends of said notches to restrict the longitudinal dimensions of said notches to facilitate proper positioning of said posts in said notches and to retain said posts in said notches.

9. In a loose leaf binder, a substantially flat rigid back plate, a rigid sheath having a flange secured to said back plate, said sheath having a notch, a sheet retaining post having an apertured end adapted to fit in said notch, a resilient member positioned adjacent said sheath in registration with said notch cooperating with said notch to facilitate proper positioning of said apertured post end, said resilient member having a flange secured between said back plate and said rst mentioned flange, and a pintle slidable in said sheath to engage the apertured end of said sheet retaining post.

PAUL O. UNGER. 

